Michelangelo a 'Renaissance Rain Man'

Michelangelo may have been a Renaissance "Rain Man", according to two experts in autism.

The 16th century sculptor and painter's artistic genius could have been a mark of Asperger's syndrome, it is claimed.

People with the disorder, also known as high-functioning autism, have difficulties with communication and social interaction but often show an unusual talent or skill in a particular area.

Some display remarkable abilities in music, drawing or mathematics.

Now two leading authorities in autism are suggesting that Michelangelo met the criteria for Asperger's.

Dr Muhammad Arshad, staff psychiatrist at Five Boroughs Partnership NHS Trust, and Professor Michael Fitzgerald, from Trinity College Dublin, outline their evidence in the Journal of Medical Biography.

They argue that, like the character played by Dustin Hoffman in the film Rain Man, the great Renaissance artist was socially dysfunctional and obsessive.

But while Hoffman portrayed a character with an extraordinary ability to remember numbers and gamble, Michelangelo's gift was for art.

He had a troubled childhood, being frequently beaten by his father and uncles, who disapproved of his artistic interests.

Aged 14, Michelangelo began a three-year apprenticeship with the famous artist Domenico Ghirlandaio, who said the boy knew more about drawing than he did.

From these early beginnings emerged the man who sculpted the statue of David and painted the ceiling of the Sistine chapel.

His dexterity with brush and chisel was in sharp contrast to his complete inability to conduct normal human relationships, however.

Dr Arshad and Professor Fitzgerald noted: "Michelangelo was aloof and a loner. Like the architect John Nash (1752-1835), who also had high-functioning autism, he had few friends."

The artist was unable to show emotion, as demonstrated by his failure to attend his brother's funeral.

He was also obsessive, followed repetitive routines, and sought to control every aspect of his life. Loss of control caused him "great frustration".

His highly retentive memory allowed him to generate, in a short time, many hundreds of sketches for the Sistine ceiling.

Michelangelo found communication and conversation difficult. He could not be engaged in long conversation, and would often walk off in the middle of an exchange, say the experts.

"He was bad tempered and had anger outbursts," they added.

They described him as "strange, without affect, and isolated" and "preoccupied with his own private reality".

Autism appears to have run in the artist's family, said Dr Arshad and Professor Fitzgerald. His father and grandfather, and one of his brothers, all displayed autistic tendencies.

The two experts conclude: "Michelangelo's single-minded work routine, unusual lifestyle, limited interests, poor social and communication skills, and various issues of life control appear to be features of high-functioning autism or Asperger's syndrome."